Aston Martin recently revived the iconic DBS moniker with the unveiling of the hardcore DBS Superleggera last month to replace the Vanquish. This left us wondering if the flagship Vanquish name, which usually represents the fastest and most powerful car in Aston Martin’s production car range, will ever return. Well, it turns out the Vanquish badge isn’t being retired because Aston Martin has been reserving the nameplate for its upcoming mid-engined supercar that will fight the Ferrari 488 in 2021.
“Without saying yes, that sounds like a plausible solution for a beautiful name like Vanquish,” the company’s chief creative officer Marek Reichmann told Motoring when asked if the new mid-engined supercar will be called the Vanquish. And just to clear any doubts, Reichmann confirmed that one of Aston Martin’s seven cars arriving in the next seven years will bear the Vanquish badge.
“Obviously, Vanquish is an incredible name for us. Ever since the first Vanquish, it has stood as the most powerful brute in the family but we felt, more importantly, this was a true DBS more than a Vanquish because of the base product and how we’ve derived it to get to DBS,” Reichmann said.
“It’s a more appropriate name for this car. Vanquish is a very special name and we’ve got some pretty special cars coming.” Now that the DB11, Vantage and DBS Superleggera have broken cover, there are four cars left for Aston Martin to unveil as part of its Second Century plan: a mid-engine supercar, an SUV, and two Lagonda electric cars. No prizes for guessing which car will be named the Vanquish.
Now that the name is confirmed, the mid-engined Aston Martin Vanquish’s design is nearing completion. Reichmann revealed the design team has already produced 12 scale models and three full-size models.
Along with a name, the mid-engined Aston Martin Vanquish’s design is nearing completion. Reichmann revealed Aston’s design team had already produced 12 scale model designs and three full-size models during the development process. “Car number 5 is our mid-engined car, and our freedom really comes from having a completely different layout,” he said. “The credibility to get to that series production car comes all through Valkyrie, both 001 and 002. It will be the most beautiful mid-engined car on the road… with all the learnings from Valkyrie.”
Unsurprisingly, Reichmann didn’t provide any technical details, but he did tease the mid-engine supercar will rival the Ferrari 488, Lamborghini Huracán, and McLaren 720S and borrow elements from the Valkyrie hypercar. Like the Valkyrie, it will also receive input from the Red Bull Formula One racing team, so expect it to be extremely light and feature an array of active aerodynamics. Power is expected to combine Aston Martin’s AMG-sourced 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 and an electric motor.
